Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Arizona Series 1, Tree #3, Agua Caliente, 2023. Acrylic sheet, acrylic paint, photograph, 3 parts. Unique. Overall: 241.6 x 335.9 x 15.2 cm / 95 1/8 x 132 1/2 x 6 inches. © Charles Gaines. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. (Photo: Keith Lubow)
Certain motifs stay with an artist throughout their career. For conceptual artist Charles Gaines, the recurring motif is a tree. The organisms have been a prominent part of his work since the 1970s. Most notably, he applies orderly systems to the organic structures. Gaines places a gridded format that covers the tree itself, often employing specific numbers and colors to fill in the squares. He’s used this format for many species of trees, including ones in Arizona. The pieces depicting them are now on display at the Phoenix Art Museum in an exhibition titled Charles Gaines: Numbers and Trees (Arizona Series).
The show at the Phoenix Art Museum debuts Gaines’ complete series of his most recent body of work. It has eight large-scale triptychs featuring cottonwood trees photographed along the San Pedro River near Sierra Vista, Arizona. The cottonwood is the constant within the series, but Gaines makes changes by plotting specific numbers and colors atop a portion of the image. Some trees are shades of pinks and reds while others pair those hues with blues for a Pointilism-like effect.
In addition to the gridded trees, Charles Gaines: Numbers and Trees (Arizona Series) features a giant sculpture. Titled Greenhouse (2003 – 2023), it’s a 12 x 16-foot enclosure with three stainless steel trees at its center. The glowing structure envelops the trees in smoke while monitors adjacent to it track both the historical and real-time temperature patterns of global warming. This feels especially poignant in Phoenix, which is seeing the detrimental effects of climate change with summer temperatures so high that mailboxes have melted.
Charles Gaines: Numbers and Trees (Arizona Series) is now on view at the Phoenix Art Museum until July 20, 2025.
Certain motifs stay with an artist throughout their career. For conceptual artist Charles Gaines, the recurring motif is a tree.
Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Arizona Series 1, Tree #4, Tonto, 2023 (detail). Acrylic sheet, acrylic paint, photograph, 3 parts. Unique. Overall: 241.6 x 335.9 x 14.6 cm / 95 1/8 x 132 1/2 x 5 3/4 inches. © Charles Gaines. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. (Photo: Keith Lubow)
The organisms have been a prominent part of his work since the 1970s.
Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Arizona Series 1, Tree #3, Agua Caliente, 2023 (detail). Acrylic sheet, acrylic paint, photograph, 3 parts. Unique. Overall: 241.6 x 335.9 x 15.2 cm / 95 1/8 x 132 1/2 x 6 inches. © Charles Gaines. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. (Photo: Keith Lubow)
Gaines applies orderly systems to the organic structures, placing a gridded format covering the tree itself, which often employ specific numbers and colors to fill the squares.
Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Arizona Series 1, Tree #2, Eagle, 2023. Acrylic sheet, acrylic paint, photograph, 3 parts. Unique. Overall: 241.9 x 336.9 x 14.6 cm / 95 1/4 x 132 5/8 x 5 3/4 inches. © Charles Gaines. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. (Photo: Keith Lubow)
Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Arizona Series 1, Tree #2, Eagle, 2023 (detail). Acrylic sheet, acrylic paint, photograph, 3 parts. Unique. Overall: 241.9 x 336.9 x 14.6 cm / 95 1/4 x 132 5/8 x 5 3/4 inches. © Charles Gaines. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. (Photo: Keith Lubow)
He’s used this format for many species of trees, including ones in Arizona.
Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Arizona Series 1, Tree #3, Agua Caliente, 2023 (detail). Acrylic sheet, acrylic paint, photograph, 3 parts. Unique. Overall: 241.6 x 335.9 x 15.2 cm / 95 1/8 x 132 1/2 x 6 inches. © Charles Gaines. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. (Photo: Keith Lubow)
Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Arizona Series 1, Tree #2, Eagle, 2023 (detail). Acrylic sheet, acrylic paint, photograph, 3 parts. Unique. Overall: 241.9 x 336.9 x 14.6 cm / 95 1/4 x 132 5/8 x 5 3/4 inches. © Charles Gaines. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. (Photo: Keith Lubow)
The pieces depicting them are now on display at the Phoenix Art Museum in an exhibition titled Charles Gaines: Numbers and Trees (Arizona Series).
Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Arizona Series 1, Tree #4, Tonto, 2023. Acrylic sheet, acrylic paint, photograph, 3 parts. Unique. Overall: 241.6 x 335.9 x 14.6 cm / 95 1/8 x 132 1/2 x 5 3/4 inches. © Charles Gaines. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. (Photo: Keith Lubow)
The show has eight large-scale triptychs featuring cottonwood trees photographed along the San Pedro River near Sierra Vista, Arizona.
Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Arizona Series 1, Tree #4, Tonto, 2023 (detail). Acrylic sheet, acrylic paint, photograph, 3
parts. Unique. Overall: 241.6 x 335.9 x 14.6 cm / 95 1/8 x 132 1/2 x 5 3/4 inches. © Charles Gaines. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. (Photo: Keith Lubow)
Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Arizona Series 2, Tree #12, Sonoita, 2023. Watercolor and ink on paper. Unique. 95.3 x 80 cm / 37 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches. 110.5 x 95.3 x 5.1 cm / 43 1/2 x 37 1/2 x 2 inches (framed). © Charles Gaines. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. (Photo: Keith Lubow)
Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Arizona Series 2, Tree #12, Sonoita, 2023 (detail). Watercolor and ink on paper. Unique. 95.3 x 80 cm / 37 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches. 110.5 x 95.3 x 5.1 cm / 43 1/2 x 37 1/2 x 2 inches (framed). © Charles Gaines. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. (Photo: Keith Lubow)
Charles Gaines: Numbers and Trees (Arizona Series) features a giant sculpture. Titled Greenhouse (2003 – 2023), the glowing structure envelops trees in smoke while adjacent monitors track the historical and real-time temperature patterns of global warming.
View this post on Instagram
Installation view of Charles Gaines: Numbers and Trees (Arizona Series), 2024. Phoenix Art Museum. (Photo: Charles Darr)
Installation view of Charles Gaines: Numbers and Trees (Arizona Series), 2024. Phoenix Art Museum. (Photo: Charles Darr)